386 



INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL. 



again. Indeed, it was so difficult to get her along, that 

 Nicolas tied her by the halter to his mule's tail, after a 

 manner common in the country, and thus leading her 

 along, I followed at her heels. The deer were more 

 numerous than I had yet seen them, and I now looked 

 at them only as animating a beautiful landscape. At 

 dark we began to have apprehensions about the road. 

 There was a difficult mountain-pass before us, and Nic- 

 olas wanted to stop and wait till the moon rose ; but as 

 that would derange the journey for the next day, I push- 

 ed on for more than an hour through the woods. The 

 mules stumbled along in the dark, and very soon we 

 lost all traces of a path ; while trying to find it, we 

 heard the crash of a falling tree, which in the darkness 

 sounded appalling, and made us hesitate to enter the 

 woods. I determined to wait for the moon, and dis- 

 mounted. Peering into the darkness, I saw a glimmer- 

 ing light on the left. We shouted with all our strength, 

 and were answered by a pack of barking dogs, and 

 moving in that direction, reached a hut where three or 

 four workmen were lying on the ground, who were at 

 first disposed to be merry and impertinent when we 

 asked for a guide to the next hacienda ; but one of them 

 recognised my cargo-mule, said that he had known it 

 since he was a child (rather doubtful praise of my new 

 purchase), and was at length induced to make us an 

 offer of his services. A horse was brought, large, wild, 

 and furious, as if never bitted ; snorting, rearing, and 

 almost making the ground shake at every tread ; and 

 before the rider was fairly on his back he was tearing 

 in the dark across the plain. Making a wide sweep, 

 he returned, and the guide, releasing the cargo-mule 

 from that of Nicolas, tied her to the tail of his horse, 

 and then led the way. Even with the drag of the car- 



